April took a bit of a different turn in our schedule. The month started as usual with a missions’ conference in Texas, but for the second week of April, we were in wedding mode. Joneia’s middle sister got MARRIED! We are so excited for them and their union. Since February, this was the first weekend that we didn’t actually have a meeting. The Lord has given us such amazing energy to continue beyond our ability. We enjoyed two conferences, a wedding, and Easter Sunday in April, and look forward to what God has for us in the coming months.
We parked our RV in Texas after our time in Oklahoma, and started the month off in Weatherford, Texas. This particular conference was very unique because we got to share the conference with Joneia’s parents, John and Neila Yelle! During the conference, I leaned over to Joneia’s dad and asked, “did you ever imagine 10 years ago that we would be in a missions’ conference together?” He leaned over to me and said, “absolutely not.” We both laughed about it and marveled at what the Lord has done with me in just 10 years. The conference was such a blessing to me. On display at the front of the auditorium were the boots of Joe Hawkins, Joneia’s grandfather. I saw the boots as part of his legacy, and in the Yelle’s display, I saw a pair of John Yelle’s boots. I chuckled to myself, “guess when I get to Brazil I get to have my own boots!” To me this month was a lot of reflection of how God has grafted me into a missionary legacy. Ten years ago I didn’t know what I was doing with my life, and now I have a clear direction supported by an amazing legacy. Deputation has been a time of real reflection.
The church in Weatherford took us on for support! We greatly appreciated all the love and support that they gave us. Then it was crunch time: the week of the wedding. We had a lot to prepare with only 3 days left before the wedding. Joneia and I looked at the schedule wondering how this was going to happen. We can still remember how it didn’t feel like there was enough time for our own wedding! How could we do it in 3 days!? But amazingly, the Lord provided everything we needed every step of the way. He provided the family a free florist, and gave the bride and groom a full refund for a mix up with the flowers! All of our families worked hard together, and we somehow made it all happen. The Lord blessed the wedding immensely.
After the wedding was Easter week. Not surprising to us, we didn’t get a meeting scheduled for Easter. So, we got to visit our home church that week and take a little bit of time to rest after these extremely busy 3 months. We got to report at our sending church, Worth Baptist Church, how wonderful and blessed our deputation has been, and how God has provided and taken care of us the entire way.
It was so much fun to be back at our home church to see everyone, and then it was time to hit the road again. The day after Easter, we drove to our next missions conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We have never prayed so much for our stuff in the 5th wheel than when we hit the Oklahoma roads. Praise the Lord, he protected everything, and still, in all of our travels, nothing has been broken! We arrived at the RV park, and plugged in, and as soon as I walked into the RV, I smelled something a little funny. Something didn’t seem quite right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. As we continued to finish parking the RV and getting everything in place and the slides out, I opened the storage compartment, and I figured out exactly what I was smelling: hot wires! Something was going on electrically! We unplugged from the RV park outlet, and switched all the fuses off at the circuit breaker immediately. It was already a bit late, so we had to wait until morning to call a repair company. In the morning, we called the repair man and, praise the Lord, someone was available within the hour to help us. Apparently, something happened with the ground wire at the RV park, and it was pumping 200 volts into the RV! They were able to repair and replace the parts that got fried, and the RV park reimbursed us IN FULL. It was a good lesson for me to trust in God and to not panic in times of stress (I’ll admit I did get a little frantic, but I’m grateful for my wife’s help with handling the situation).
After that nerve racking event, we had a wonderful time at our missions’ conference in Tulsa. We have never seen a church that size sing that loudly and beautifully! It was clear that they had a unity, a sweet spirit, and a passion for missions. The conference lasted from Tuesday through Sunday. After that conference, we had a few final errands to run in Texas. Joneia’s parents (who were here for the wedding) intentionally came to the United States with very few bags on this trip so that they could take some of our things with them to Brazil. This is where us moving to Brazil became real to me. We took the Yelles to the Airport and sent them off with 4 trunks filled with some of our things. We are really going to Brazil!!!
Seven months into our deputation, we have passed 40% support! It has blown me away the amount that the Lord has given us to go to Brazil with so far! Halfway into our deputation, we are inching even closer to the 50% mark. Keep praying for us to book meetings through the summer, and that God will continue to grow our support so that we can get to the field by December.